Alcatraz Versus The Shattered Lens by Brandon Sanderson
Publisher: Scholastic Press
Publication date: December 2010
ISBN: 9780439925570
Source: Library
Things I Liked:
Once again, the humor in this series does not disappoint. Alcatraz is filled with silliness and ridiculousity that rivals anything I've ever read. He takes his diversions to the point of embarrassment, even while you have to laugh at the sometimes dreadful puns. The story is also fun for sci-fi lovers and those invested in the Smedrys' stories. Definitely a go-to book for reluctant tween boys who love a good laugh, tongue-in-cheek humor, and a bit of sci-fi action. Here's just a taste of some of the fun stuff:
I won't lie. It was shatteringly cool. Instead of sitting around all day writing biology papers r listening to Mr. Layton from algebra class extol the virtues of complex factoring, I got to throw teddy bear grenades and jump off buildings. It was really fun at the start. Okay, it was really fun the WHOLE TIME. p 12
If you've ever thought that books are boring, it's because you don't know how to read them correctly. From now on, when you read a book, I want you to scream the words of the novel out loud while reading them, then do exactly what the characters are doing in the story. Turst me, it will make books way more exciting. Even dictionaries. Particularly dictionaries. p 37
People don't become Librarians because they wnat to force people to be quiet, or because they love books, or because they want to help people. No, people become Librarians for only one reason: They like to put things in order. Librarians are always organizing stuff. They can't help it. YOu'll see them for hours and hours sitting on little stools in libraries, going over each and every book on their shelf, trying to decide if it should be moved over one or two slots. It drives them crazy when we normal people wander into their libraries and mess stuff up. p 199
Things I Didn't Like:
I have to admit, as an adult, I got terribly annoyed after a while at the story's silly tone and the completely over-the-top feel of the story. I can really only handle one of these at a time before I get too annoyed. Also, despite it being the last of the series (supposedly) it really had no ending that felt satisfying to me. [Note: I heard Scholastic didn't sign on for another book, but Sanderson indicated there is a 5th book, so that's why it felt unfinished.] Still, as I said, the right tween boy (and possibly girl) will devour these.
Read-alikes:
Read the first three Alcatraz books by Brandon Sanderson first
The Secret series by Pseudonymous Bosch
A little like the Series of Unfortunate Events by Lemony Snicket
BOOK CONTENT RATINGS:
s-factor: none
mrg-factor: none
v-factor: none
Overall rating: ***
I believe this might be my last Utah author review for May's Utah authors celebration (yeah, I didn't get to some on my list). How do you celebrate your local authors?
If you buy through my Amazon linkage, I will get a very small percentage
Alcatraz Versus The Knights Of Crystallia by Brandon Sanderson
Publisher: Scholastic Press
Publication date: October 2009
ISBN: 9780439925556
Source: Library
This book continues the adventures of Alcatraz Smedry. Alcatraz is making his way to the Nalhalla, a free kingdom and his home city, with his father and grandfather when they run into a little bit of an accident. They finally make it there, only to discover a plot by librarians to get the free kingdom of Mokia in exchange for peace. But, do they really mean to keep that bargain? Alcatraz must try to discover their true purpose in Nalhalla and protect the kingdoms from evil librarians. Again.
Things I Liked:
I love the snarky, sarcastic, talking straight to the reader tone of the book. I love also how Sanderson isn't afraid to make fun of himself and other tropes of literature today. Each chapter seems to start with a very random bit of information, and yet is humorous enough that you keep reading anyway. The story is funny and adventurous and you want to know what happens, even if he drops a hundred foreshadowing comments throughout the book. And, of course, I love the evil librarian aspect. I kept trying to limit myself from marking every page I thought was funny, so that I didn't have this whole post filled with a bunch of favorite quotes. Here are a few I finally settled on.
Definition of "crapaflapnasti": "Adj. Used to describe an item that is as disgusting as fish sticks." (Note: This word can only be used to describe fish sticks themselves, as nothing has yet been found that is equally crapaflapnasti. Though the unclean, moldy, cluttered space under Brandon Sanderson's bed comes close.) p 14
Of all the things in the world that come close to being crapaflapnastic, responsibility is the most terrible. It makes people eat salads instead of candy bars, and makes them go to bed early of their own free choice. When you're about to launch yourself into the air strapped to the back of a rocket-propelled penguin, it's that blasted responsibility that warns you that the flight might not be good for your insurance premiums. p 30-31
Fame is like a cheeseburger. It might not be the best or most healthy thing to have, but it will still fill you up. You don't really care how healthy something is when you've been without it for so long. Like a cheeseburger, fame fills a need, and it tastes so good going down. It isn't until years later that you realized what it has done to your heart. p 73-74
Summarizing is when you take a story that is complicated and interesting, then stick it in the microwave until it shrivels up into a tiny piece of black crunchy tarlike stuff. A wise man once said, "Any story, no matter how good, will sound really, really dumb when you shorten it to a few sentences." p 107
Now, you may have gotten the impression that there are absolutely no uses for Librarians. I'm sorry if I implied that. Librarians are very useful. For instance, they are useful if you are fishing for sharks and need some bait. They're also useful for throwing out windows to test the effects of concrete impact on horn-rimmed glasses. p 187
Things I Didn't Like:
I think reading more than one of these books in a row might make the humor and the talking to the reader aspect get old. I thought the book was just the right length to not make me annoyed, but others might disagree. One at a time is best for full enjoyment, although I had forgotten what happened in the previous books. Apparently it didn't matter too much. Tween boys (and girls) will love this series!
Read-alikes:
The Secret series by Pseudonymous Bosch
A little like the Series of Unfortunate Events by Lemony Snicket
Read the first two books in the Alcatraz series
BOOK CONTENT RATINGS:
s-factor: none
mrg-factor: none
v-factor: ->
a little bit, very mild
Overall rating: ****
How do you like humor in books - subtle or snarky or outright funny?
Alcatraz Versus The Scrivener's Bones
continues the story, I mean biography, of Alcatraz Smedry. Alcatraz finds himself in danger almost immediately from a strange new being, a scrivener's bone. Ignoring common sense, he heads to the Library of Alexandria, into the heart of danger, seeking his grandfather and his father.
I like Sanderson's way of writing - the book is filled with asides and random sections and humorous little tidbits. The story is fairly good too, but I think it is mostly noteworthy for the quirky writing. (See review of first book
here.)
RATINGS:
s-factor: none(Unless you count nuts and spices...)
mrg-factor: nonev-factor: ->Some fighting, but
really mild.
Overall rating: ***
Alcatraz Versus The Evil Librarians
is the [true] account of Alcatraz Smedry and his discovery of the conspiracy of evil librarians trying to take over the world [don't believe it]! He must face the evil librarians using nothing more than his talent for breaking things and a pair of lenses.
I like the style of writing Sanderson employs to draw kids into reading. He throws in a lot of random humor and definitions. But, don't believe all that stuff about evil librarians. Librarians are simply awesome!
s-factor: none
mrg-factor: none
v-factor: ->
Very mild fighting.
Overall rating: ****
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